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Coweta is home to a number of talented artists. The Coweta art community is constantly flourishing. In order to further cultivate the arts in Newnan, an artist residence program was formed.

In conjunction with The University of West Georgia, The Newnan Artist Rez program invites artists from all over the world to spend time in Newnan engaging with the community and enriching Coweta through their artistic expression.

Previous artists have included talented painters like Peter Tudhope and brilliant poet B.H. Fairchild.

The program houses its artists in the charming Gray Cottage. The little house is nestled in a quiet area next door to the McRitchie-Hollis Museum.

It’s close enough to downtown that the artist in residence can easily walk or ride a bike downtown, but also have a tranquil area to inspire creativity. This spring, The Artist Rez program was fortunate enough to secure Phoenix artist Christine Cassano.

She was kind enough to invite us to Gray Cottage to take a look at her current works in progress and learn more about her process. As soon as we walked into the cottage, our eyes were met with the results of art she has been immersed in while staying in Newnan.

The floor was covered with what at first glance appeared to be the fossilized remains of some long gone sea creature, but upon closer inspection were delicately constructed porcelain pieces stamped with a motherboard.

Christine is a small woman with masses of thick, wavy brown hair. She spoke of her art with an enthusiasm that left us in no doubt of the passion she feels for her chosen profession.

She began her artistic career as a two dimensional artist. Eventually, her work evolved beyond the canvas and she found she could express herself better with a three dimensional format.

Her art is not confined by conventional mediums. She works with a variety of unusual materials.
In addition to incorporating found objects into her pieces, she also uses metal, clay, concrete and even her own hair.

Much of her recent art looks as if it was excavated from an archeological site or found growing in the wild. When you look closer however, you will find elements of technology embedded in the piece.

This reflects her keen interest in biology as it relates to technology. Everything she puts into her art emphasizes this connection.

She showed us a beautiful study of a very organic looking porcelain piece that was stamped with a motherboard. There were holes pierced through each point of electrical connection. Through this she weaves sutures made from her own hair. This is her expression of how similar the cellular function of the body is to the programming of a computer.

A series of serious health problems forced Christine to closely examine human biology and the way in which it interacts with modern technology. She takes these deeply personal issues and through her art, applies them to the whole of human history and evolution. The results are beautifully provocative and relatable pieces.

Christine is enjoying her stay in Newnan. Her removal from the blanching desert environment of Arizona to the lush foliage of Georgia has shifted her focus. She also loves the challenges that come with being removed from her studio. Being in an environment with limited materials has pushed her out of her comfort zone, inspiring new thoughts and ideas.

While she is here, she has been working on an installation piece for the university’s permanent display. The piece incorporates rolled porcelain stamped with a motherboard and medical vials filled with Newnan memorabilia. The university also purchased an additional piece that will go in their permanent collection as well.

This is Christine’s very first artist residency and she has been impressed with the kind welcoming hospitality that she has received from the residents of Newnan, the Artist Rez members and The University of West Georgia faculty and staff.

You can view her art in West Georgia’s permanent collection or by visiting her website. To learn more about her process and art, visit her blog or follow her on Instagram.

Artist Martin Pate Photograph © 2015 Susan Crutchfield Photography

If you have ever browsed the Newnan Art Walk, strolled past the windows of Fine Lines gallery or toured the McRitchie Hollis museum, chances are you have encountered the beautiful artwork of Martin Pate.

Mr. Pate was kind enough to invite us into his home studio to discuss his journey into the fine arts. His second floor studio is a small room crowded with paintings, mementos and tools of the trade. A large portrait of his wife, Rhonda, looks over the studio and a restored 1920s mannequin in a cherry red leotard and tutu keeps him company as he works. We loved his vintage desk, a beautiful piece salvaged from his first job as an illustrator in Atlanta.

Martin Pate arrived in Coweta County thirty-one years ago as a young artist just beginning a promising career.

Pate’s life was saturated in art from a young age. His parents were both creative souls who encouraged their young boys to indulge their passion for drawing. An artistic inclination seems to run in the family. Their house contained original artwork created by Pate’s grandmother. His aunt was also a very talented painter and illustrator.

As children, Martin and his brother Charlie loved to draw. When their aunt moved in with them for a short time, she set up a studio in their home where the boys could sit and watch her create her art.

Pate describes watching in fascination as she used her palette knife to apply paint directly onto the canvas. The experience of watching broad strokes of color become pictures was a magical one.

As the Pate boys honed their artistic skills, they became well known at school and began to receive small commissions from teachers and fellow students. Pate won several awards for his early art. He still remembers the elation that came from seeing a blue ribbon attached to a piece he had created. The ribbons are now proudly displayed in his studio, all faded purple from the years.

After high school, Pate followed in his brothers’ footsteps by attending Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida. He graduated in three years and set out in the world to make his living as an artist. He and his wife moved to Atlanta, where the illustration firm Brown Dog offered him a position as an illustrator based on his talent for drawing realistic animals. He stayed at this company for the remaining three years they were in business. Pate came into the illustration business at a time of radical change. Companies were relying more on stock art, so there was not as much of a need for hand illustrations.

With the closure of Brown Dog, Martin and Rhonda decided to move to the Atlanta suburbs. They chose a beautiful old house in The City of Homes and have been here ever since. Pate laughingly describes his home as a thirty-year hobby. He loves taking a break from his work to tackle a project around the house.

Pate’s talent for life drawing landed him regular commissions with the National Park Service. He works with archeologists to recreate past scenes of American life. These are richly detailed paintings that bring a long gone era to life.

In 2007, Pate rediscovered his love of gallery art. The global economic recession had severely limited the budget of the National Park Service. His resulting work was beautiful paintings of lone female figures striking hauntingly emotional poses.

Pate emphasizes the importance of drawing the human form from life. He believes that artists should practice this often. When his son decided to attend his father’s alma mater, Pate began teaching a life drawing class so that he could pass this important skill to his son. His live models are mainly dancers. They are generally more comfortable with performing and holding uncomfortable poses for long periods of time than the average person.

Pate’s son and daughter both inherited his artistic talents. His son received his degree from Ringling in animation and his daughter attended Clemson to study architecture. You can find Pate’s pieces for sale at Fine Lines Art & Framing in Newnan or Dogwood Gallery in Tyrone. He also accepts portrait commissions. He continues to teach his life drawing class on Monday nights and it is open to the public. It is an informal atmosphere attended by a wide range of talent levels.

To learn more about Martin Pate and see some of his art, visit his website and follow him on Facebook.

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